how often do your brakes need new pads or bleeding

mrmonkfinger

As title really. How often do you guys need to do *something* to your brakes.


I must admit, I'm perplexed by all this talk of people wearing out pads so quickly. Or needing to bleed. Or stuff needing adjusting.

I bought some elixirs two years ago and they only recently needed bleeding, as the levers had gone a bit squishy. While I was doing that I lubricated the pistons with some brake fluid. That was it, that's my brake maintenance schedule. I still haven't replaced the pads. I'm 200lbs. I don't ride like complete wuss.

My previous brakes were Hayes soles (which were shockingly weak) but they lasted about two years. The limiting factor for them was crap build quality - they started leaking around the calipers and levers and various bits began to go rusty (and one bleed nipple rusted and broke off) before the pads needed changing, repair cost killed them.

So I don't understand it - I've never really had to touch my brakes very much.


Open question...
What do you need to do to yours to keep everything working?
Or did it never really work from new?

supersonic

When it needs doing ;-). I check the pads, but like you are light on them. Not bled mine for two years either!

Just one of those variable things.

nicklouse

as above.

usage and conditions are the main factors. But always have a spare set of pads in your pack.

but to sum up anything from hours to years.

and bleeding when needed by a spongy lever due to air ingress or boiled fluid.

.blitz

Have had J3s that are absolutely fine after 3+ years. Never been bled, just feed them pads now and then. Same with some Elixirs and 575s they worked when I got them and they still work now.

Avid recommend the brake pads are replaced when the friction material is less than 1.4 mm thick. Can be difficult to check on some bikes because the pads don't wear uniformly.

Chunkers1980

1.4mm lovit.

1mancity2

Hop M4, 2 years old, replaced pads once, the end.

bennett_346

You must ride once a fortnight to have pads last that long. Im only 70kg with full riding kit, ride xc once a week and on sintered pads i get 7-8 months before the pads need replaced.

I too have elixirs.

Anonymous

+1 on "when needed"

Pads, just keep an eye on them. Replace when they're worn right down. They work fine until there's nothing left. When they'll wear out all depends on the conditions, type of pads, how often you ride, etc.

Bleed - try not to. As others have said in other threads, bleed should be the last thing you try and most problems with brakes can be fixed by other means and adjustments. Spongy brakes - may need bleeding, probably don't, or they may be Juicys in which case just bin the things and get better brakes

bobbygloss

+2 on "when needed". My bike is 3500 miles / 10 months old, Deore brakes, and I'm on my second set of front pads, 4th set of rear pads. I replace them when the spring starts grinding on the disc. Never had to bleed the brakes.
The bike is used for daily commuting, part road, part gravel and part forest, but no long hills.

cooldad

How do people go through more rear pads than front?
I did a bit of work on our MD's bike - same thing. When I asked him he said he was told as a kid not to use the front too much as he'd go over the bars.
Not much chance of that now as he's big and tubby.

Chunkers1980

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

I suppose it's skill level, people are taught to use only one brake at a time. People who are experienced/skilled will use their weight to balence the braking and are able to feel what's going on with both brakes on at the same time.

Some people may also drag the rear brakes when going down a hill to kill speed.

Neal_

On the topic of bleeding I've got Elixir R's and have had issues recently after attempting to shorten the hoses. As it turns out I need to order threaded hose barbs to shorten them as the current ones don’t appear to be removable but that’s a separate issue. I’ve been using a borrowed non-Avid bleed kit and following this guide and video on how to bleed them but I really struggled to do it properly due to air and fluid leaking at the syringe tube fittings. I think I’ve got the front brake bled properly and will be having another go with the back brake tonight, I’ve warned the missus in advance about the cursing!

To get to the point my question is does anyone have experience of both the cheap copy bleed kits and the proper Avid bleed kits and is it worth spending the extra on the proper one? As I need to buy barbs anyway it would effectively only cost an extra £10 to get the proper kit.

Also anyone got any tips for bleeding that isn’t covered in the guide I linked? I’m fairly competent at spannering and have rebuilt a few motorbikes but they have different brake systems.

nicklouse

only use the avid one.

never had any issues. and follow the manual.

Anonymous

Got organics on mine still as they came with the brakes that came with the bike, and the rear are getting destroyed fast compared to the front. I think it's probably because far more mud gets into them than on the front (and mud destroys organics).

That said I tend to prefer the rear brake at times. I used to just apply both brakes but the front is often quite harsh and just needs a light touch to balance with the rear. I feel I used to be on the front brake too much. Still, aside from wear due to conditions, generally they wear at the same rate I find.

stubs

Got Avid Elixirs the original gold (sintered I think not sure) pads lasted about 3 months replaced them with Superstar sintered 3 months ago and the fronts are on there last legs a gritty ride will kill them the rears will last me the winter probably. It has been an exceptionall gritty few months though cant remember the last time I came back clean.

Servicing every month or so take pads out give everything a blast with brake cleaner clean all the crud out of the nooks and crannies. Put a drop of fluid on the pistons and make sure they move smoothly and equally.

Neal_

nicklouse wrote:

only use the avid one.

never had any issues. and follow the manual.

I've followed the manual, SRAM youtube video and the vid on Pinkbike by "Chuck from SRAM" (the one I linked) so I'm confident I've got the technique right and can see bubbles coming out but just when I'm pretty much finished and holding the plunger out to make sure there are no more bubbles, air is entering the syringe where the tube joins the fittings cocking it all up, very frustrating! I've just had look through customer reviews of the avid kit and although most are good a few people have had issues with the syringe leaking so maybe some kits leak regardless of who makes them or maybe I'm just pulling too hard on the plunger!

Thanks though, if I can't get the borrowed kit to work I'll fork out for an avid one.

bails87

I've had Juicy 7s and now got Oro K18s, never really touched either. Replaced pads several times and bled the Avids once, after the fluid was boiled a few times. So far I've replaced one set of pads in the Oros, after ~250 miles. The backs had worn more than the fronts, don't know why.

delcol

i have a propper avid bleed kit,, and had the issues you say, ie pull the plunger to draw the air out and the plunger reches the end of the tube and there is still air coming out the caliper,,
i also pulled the plunger to far and let air past the seal, cocking up the bleed and having to start again..

trick i learned in whistler, get bigger syringes, (from a aquarium) this makes it easier as you can keep pulling the plunger to get all the air out,,

Anonymous

delcol wrote:

i have a propper avid bleed kit,, and had the issues you say, ie pull the plunger to draw the air out and the plunger reches the end of the tube and there is still air coming out the caliper,,

Seems to be normal. Just hold the plunger there and wait until as many of the big bubbles come out as possible, but as you noticed, don't pull too far!

Done it a few times and only once did I get loads of bubbles and it made a significant difference. Other times it really didn't seem to need a bleed. Sorting out the piston and lever positions with a few tricks and tweaks seems to help, though Juicys still feel squishy even if the bite is improved. Maybe I should be cleaning the callipers more often than never though.

Oh and a trick that sort of works at times is to simply tie the levers to the bars (with the wheels or pad spreaders in), leave overnight. Next day, untie, pump levers a few times and chances are they are better for a while.

Neal_

delcol wrote:

i have a propper avid bleed kit,, and had the issues you say, ie pull the plunger to draw the air out and the plunger reches the end of the tube and there is still air coming out the caliper,,
i also pulled the plunger to far and let air past the seal, cocking up the bleed and having to start again..

trick i learned in whistler, get bigger syringes, (from a aquarium) this makes it easier as you can keep pulling the plunger to get all the air out,,

Bigger syringes probably would help although I haven't had air getting past the plunger, the problem with the kit I've borrowed is air is leaking into the syringe at the joint between the tube and the brass bit that threads into the lever/calliper even with a couple of zip ties to help secure it.

delcol

agh right... dk that trick does work tiein the lever to bar overnight i done it a few times..

i tried to hold the plunger up and watch the air keep coming out but my gay fairy(liquid) skin so soft fingers cant hold it that long it hurts...

i seen a guy in whistler use 2 massive syringes the bigger syringe held more fluid so you could push more fluid through the system in one go,, he did'nt have to pee pee about keep going backwards and forwards...

Neal_

delcol wrote:

agh right... dk that trick does work tiein the lever to bar overnight i done it a few times..

i tried to hold the plunger up and watch the air keep coming out but my gay fairy(liquid) skin so soft fingers cant hold it that long it hurts...

i seen a guy in whistler use 2 massive syringes the bigger syringe held more fluid so you could push more fluid through the system in one go,,didn'td'nt have to pee pee about keep going backwards and forwards...

Pulling the lever to the bar overnight is just a temporary fix though as it just compresses the air in the system therefore proving they need bleeding properly. I must admit my thumb is feeling the effects of degassing the fluid in the syringes so many times and that's with years of gaming building up my Playstation thumbs!

I successfully bled the back brake last night using the non-avid kit with no problems at all, I guess I've got the knack of it after doing it a few times. There were still some fluid leaks on the syringes but no air leaks which is the main thing and the front bleed I'd done the previous night is still ok so I've now got two firm levers...which is nice. Also if you're pulling on the plunger when the syringe is connected to the calliper or lever and air is coming out then you need to keep going until the bubbles stop as there's still air in the system, it can take quite a while but they will stop eventually.

swedenuk

I Bought a carrera fury 2011 about 3/4 weeks ago...

Some road riding + been to Bedgbury twice (red circuit) and had to replace the back break pad today. The front is pretty worn too.

Just started MTB'ing and was pretty shocked to go through the breaks so quick. I guess I am riding pretty lame... more speed! More speed!

delcol

dont go to whistler then and hit the bike park or some epic descents you can go through a set of pads in hours or a day.. :shock: :shock: and at whistler prices to.

StefanP

I'm sitting on 4 years for my shimano deores, I haven't had to bleed either front or rear disc brakes. Nice and sharp still! I have only had to change the brake pads around once a year.

The Rookie

Neal_ wrote:

Pulling the lever to the bar overnight is just a temporary fix though as it just compresses the air in the system therefore proving they need bleeding properly.

Oh please, so the air somehow magically stays compressed? I think not!

What it DOES DO is to encourage the pistons to stay out, not returning to far leading to a 'long' (often called spongey even though it's not) lever as you move the pistons (and pads) out to engage the disc, easy to spot as if you watch the brakes properly you'll see the pad moving out, when working correctly they should barely move at all.

People often think 'bleeding' fixes it when all they actually do is overfill the system (bleeding without remving pads and using piston spacers) meaning they have to lose some fluid when new pads are needed.

Simon

Neal_

The Beginner wrote:

Oh please, so the air somehow magically stays compressed? I think not!

What it DOES DO is to encourage the pistons to stay out, not returning to far leading to a 'long' (often called spongey even though it's not) lever as you move the pistons (and pads) out to engage the disc, easy to spot as if you watch the brakes properly you'll see the pad moving out, when working correctly they should barely move at all.

People often think 'bleeding' fixes it when all they actually do is overfill the system (bleeding without remving pads and using piston spacers) meaning they have to lose some fluid when new pads are needed.

Simon

"Compresses the air" was a bad choice of words. What pressurising the system DOES DO is dissolve the microscopic air bubbles into the fluid which can then migrate up to the master cylinder, with open brake systems like on motorbikes the air escapes into the the reservoir and out of the fluid but with closed systems on mountain bikes the air can't escape so will eventually find its way back into the line. If you think this is BS watch the Avid bleed videos to see how much air "magically" comes out of the fluid when you de-pressurise it by pulling the syringe plunger back.

If someone is advancing the pistons to reduce lever throw in an attempt to combat a spongy lever due to air in the system or not following the instructions by fitting the bleed block before bleeding then they'd be best letting a bike shop do their spannering because it obviously isn't their bag.

The Rookie

Neal_ wrote:

"Compresses the air" was a bad choice of words. What pressurising the system DOES DO is dissolve the microscopic air bubbles into the fluid

Suggest you check the properties of brake fluid before clutching at any more straws either, as that doesn't happen either......what it does is what I told you it does.

Simon

stubs

I wouldnt ask either of you 2 to bleed some brakes neither of you know what your talking about.

Take it to a bike shop and give them some money to do it.

The Rookie

I assure you I do, however that aside as we disagree with each other one of us must be right surely........

Neal_

We could both be wrong

Brake fluid does have gas in it, that's why you degas it by de-pressurising it and the opposite is true so if you pressurise it air will dissolve into it. The best plan is to bleed them properly so there's no air in the system and you don't need to try tricks like holding the lever down overnight.